The Administrative and Scientific Core functions as a centralized unit to provide services to individual projects. The administrative component of the core is responsible for managing the finances of the program, including grant preparation, non competing renewals and reports, organizing program activities, including seminars, journal clubs and the Advisory Board consultations, and preparation of publications relevant to the program. The tissue culture component of the core provides centralized media preparation, supplies common cell cultures, and stock cell lines and some monoclonal antibodies in an efficient, coordinated and cost-saving manner. The microscopy/imaging facility provides investigators the opportunity to capture images from gels (DNA or protein) with built-in parameters for ethidium bromide, SYBR green, SYPRO orange, and Coomassie blue. Once the image has been captured it is available for adjustment, analysis or printing. The physical components in this facility (300 square feet) include an inverted microscope with fluorescence capabilities, optics and filters, a z-focus motor, 3-chip video system, and software that provides for macro editing and 3D processing. Over the next project period a tissue preparation/in situ facility will be developed for program investigators. These techniques are increasingly being used by Projects I, II and III, and each investigator is currently borrowing time on other investigator's equipment at a distance from their own laboratories. Because all projects use embryonic chick tissue for mRNA in situ hybridization analysis, a library of chick specific cDNAs is being shared among the investigators; most of them were constructed in their own laboratories. A continuous effort will be made for further expansion of this component of the core as needed.